To be honest, I’m not surprised.
We lost to a better team, through a totally negative outlook from the manager in the first half.
We tried to contain Fulham and it was obvious that it wasn’t going to happen, as early as 15 minutes, for me.

For the coaching team to not see this is nearly unforgivable.
Our defence was being run ragged and the only option was to take it to them.

What the fuck were the coaching team/Bruce seeing?

We came out playing our own game in the second half and looked much better for it, but never really looked liked getting the goal after going behind.

Bruce, you got this one totally wrong, you fool.

The annoying part is, that to my mind, we could have easily won this one.

I’ve just got a text from my Derby mate and he’s agreed that if we’d have played to our best, we’d have won that.

I need to think about our defence later, but I wasn’t impressed.
MOTM?
Probably Jedinak, who looked like the only one anywhere near where I expected.

As I said before, fair play to Fulham and they should have been promoted anyway.

Like this:

40 Comments

Fulham finished 3rd and are better than us.
We need to introduce more pace into our team next season. We have few decent prospects in the reserves.
The question
Is Bruce the manager to bring them through and let them attack or is he going to go with more older experienced or loanees from other clubs.
Wolves and fulham both desrved to go up because they tried to play football. Good luck to them.
I would like to see the same. It may take a couple of years.
Dean Smith at brentford tries to play the right way with no resources and forever losing his better players. What could he do with a bit of backing.
I am not anti bruce but everything we saw yesterday we have been watching all season. We knew the team the subs and how we were going to play. Too predictable.

Fulham and wolves try to play football the right way are better than us and deserved to up. Good luck to them.
When the fulham said we were old and slow although it fired us up we knew he was right.
I amnot anti bruce (horses for courses) but we need some.variety to the way we play.
Everything we saw yesterday we have seen all season we couldpredict the teamthe subs and the way we played (one shot on target)
Question
Going forward is bruce the man who will introduce some of our own bright prospects or carry on with signing older experienced players and developing players for the benefit of other clubs. I fear the latter.
I think Dean Smith would do a good job for us.

Gutted, where do we go from here? I don’t think calling for Bruce’s head will help, one stupid laps in defence cost us, Fulham had the luck of having a ref who was blind and favoured the cocknies, two blatant sending off was not given, you cannot play with refs like that. The FA should deal with players like they was

Bill – I know everyone is upset but I don’t think we played badly just not good enough on the day. Apart from the goal we gifted them, I don’t really recall them being that threatening. We had two or three decent chances of our own but maybe no corners won says it all.

On the ref – well definitely tended towards Fulham – Fredericks blatant stamp and their general tactics on Grealish were poor. Fredericks should have got a straight red but didn’t even get booked – the FA must take retrospective action to ‘stamp’ this sort of ugly and frankly yobbish behaviour out of the game.

On managers – I don’t think Bruce will be throwing in the towel and he’ll be here at the start of next season but he will need to have the team firing on all cylinders and playing more attacking football or Dr T will act. For me Dean Smith is definitely the man I’d go forward at least he’s young (not foreign though!), plays good football and us Villa at heart.

No problems DS – I wasn’t offended but it’s probably a good job I read the comment this morning as I was pi**ed up with steam coming out of my ears last night (as it happens not just about the football) and then my Fulham supporting (ex) mate sent me a text that literally blew the top off my anger. Hey ho all serene and calm today!

I’ve no argument on that Hitch, only great disappointment of the outcome, I don’t think we have to start chopping staff or players yet, I’ll go along with what Holte66 saying give him the games till its obvious to change.

I don’t want a change of manager this summer, although he has to get off to a good start which we didn’t manage this season. If by end of November we are not within touching distance of top 2 then maybe Bruce’s position needs to be reviewed. Dean Smith could be a good choice given the style of football he plays with little resources. The only argument against this would be if he is big enough to handle a club our size. Also looking at clubs Bruce has left shows that decline is more likely. Only time will tell whatever decisions are made whether they end up being the right choices.

This season was Bruce’s chance. If I were in Tony Zia’s shoes I would ask Steve how he is going to improve the team next year, and if the response is incredible, using that word literally, I would seek a new manager. I put up with a lot of football I didn’t like watching because it was the means to an end. SB came very very close to success, but my impression is that was the best he could do, and he would not do any better with Villa if given another season.

i see a few dean smiths votes. i also like him, seen his teams play for a few seasons now. they always play proper football the purist way. he has also been used to restraints, always having to sell to survive, but each year his clubs always betters their previous year. their are small doubt, like are villa too big for him. its one thing to manage smaller clubs with little expectations and another managing a big club with massive expectations

Steve Bruce: Stick or twist: He has brought unity to the dressing room and this cannot be wasted. Remember outlast year in the Premiership. Players having no tantrums and rewarded with tiaras. That culture has stopped. Now SB has unity. Who else was impressed withe the way John Terry spoke about Jack Grealish and Jack’s response to John after the Boro victory. Would a change in manager jeopardise this unity?

Financial Fair Play: I posted yesterday that Dr Xia tried to buy his way out of the Championship last season and it backfired with his appointment of DeMateo. He the gave Steve Bruce significant funds and I do question his buys. Hogan, Lansbury, Bree and Taylor cost significant sums and have not yet come anywhere close to justifying their acquisitions. But, Steve Bruce has contacts and relationships that attract players to our club. Terry, Johnstone, Snodgrass and Grabban were good loans. Could a new manager do better?

One of our own: My dream is for the best 11 players for each position in our team to be the best in the country, all Villa fans, who came through our youth team and U23 set up. In the meantime, look at the commitment yesterday by Jack Grealish. If all 11 from here until the end of time showed that hunger and love for our club, we would have one special football team!

Strangely enough financial fair play and one of own may just be the marriage many of us have wanted to see. Steve Bruce will now have to intergrate a number of U23 players into the first team. Dr Cia and he have spoken about it, but we never saw it to the level some of us expected. Who of these players next year will be given the chance to nail down a place: André Green, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, Jake Hayes-Doyle, Keinan Davies, Callum O’Hare, Easah Suliman, Jed Steer, Jacob Bedeau and James Bree (I appreciate some were bought in). Here are 9 players looking to make the grade and are not on astronomical wages. Moreover, with limited loyalty left in the game, we might just get the rub if the green in goodwill from those players who step up to the grade.

Us the fans: United we stand divided we fall. To my shame, I recall booing off our own players at half time against Wigan, in Martin O’Neils last season. Why, because I thought we were going to be a top 4 team and had become arrogant. We all have to hold the mirror up and look at our Villa reflection. We are a Championship team with a premier ground and facilities. But the critical ingredient are us fans. We needs to create a unified Villa fortress. Plus, our gate money will determine what the club can afford.

My hope for next year: Jack Grealish stays, Steve Bruce default position becomes attacking focused for all matches and we all unite to create an atmosphere at Villa Park and on social media to inspire our team.

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